*THE 545 PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR **AMERICA**'S WOES *
BY CHARLEY REESE
Politicians are the only people in the world who create
problems and then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the
Republicans are against deficits, we have deficits? Have you
ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against
inflation and high taxes, we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president
does. You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to
vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.
You and I don't write the tax code. Congress does.
You and I don't set fiscal policy. Congress does. You and I
don't control monetary policy. The Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president and
nine Supreme Court Justices - 545 human beings out of the
300 million - are directly, legally, morally, and
individually responsible for the domestic problems that
plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because
that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress
delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound
currency to a federally chartered but private central bank.
I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a
sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no
ability to coerce a senator, a congressman or a president to
do one cotton- picking thing. I don't care if they offer a
politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has
the power to accept or reject it.
No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's
responsibility to determine how he votes.
*A CONFIDENCE CONSPIRACY*
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing
you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in
this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an
excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have
the gall of a SPEAKER, who stood up and criticized G.W. BUSH
for creating deficits.
The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the
Congress to accept it. The Constitution, which is the
supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the
House of Representatives for originating and approving
appropriations and taxes.
Who is the speaker of the House? She is the leader of the
majority party.
She and fellow Democrats, not the president, can approve any
budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass
it over his veto.
*REPLACE THE SCOUNDRELS *
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million
cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present
facts - of incompetence and irresponsibility.
I can't think of a single domestic problem, from an unfair
tax code to defense overruns, that is not traceable directly
to those 545 people.
When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people
exercise power of the federal government, then it must
follow that what exists is what they want to exist.
If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.
If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in
the red. If the Marines are in IRAQ, it's because they want
them in IRAQ.
There are no insoluble government problems. Do not let these
545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire
and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts
and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give
the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power.
Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that
there exist disembodied mystical forces like "the economy,"
"inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what
they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible. They, and
they alone, have the power. They, and they alone, should be
held accountable by the people who are their bosses -
provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own
employees. We should vote all of them out of office and
clean up their mess.
BY CHARLEY REESE
Politicians are the only people in the world who create
problems and then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the
Republicans are against deficits, we have deficits? Have you
ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against
inflation and high taxes, we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president
does. You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to
vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.
You and I don't write the tax code. Congress does.
You and I don't set fiscal policy. Congress does. You and I
don't control monetary policy. The Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president and
nine Supreme Court Justices - 545 human beings out of the
300 million - are directly, legally, morally, and
individually responsible for the domestic problems that
plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because
that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress
delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound
currency to a federally chartered but private central bank.
I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a
sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no
ability to coerce a senator, a congressman or a president to
do one cotton- picking thing. I don't care if they offer a
politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has
the power to accept or reject it.
No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's
responsibility to determine how he votes.
*A CONFIDENCE CONSPIRACY*
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing
you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in
this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an
excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have
the gall of a SPEAKER, who stood up and criticized G.W. BUSH
for creating deficits.
The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the
Congress to accept it. The Constitution, which is the
supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the
House of Representatives for originating and approving
appropriations and taxes.
Who is the speaker of the House? She is the leader of the
majority party.
She and fellow Democrats, not the president, can approve any
budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass
it over his veto.
*REPLACE THE SCOUNDRELS *
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million
cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present
facts - of incompetence and irresponsibility.
I can't think of a single domestic problem, from an unfair
tax code to defense overruns, that is not traceable directly
to those 545 people.
When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people
exercise power of the federal government, then it must
follow that what exists is what they want to exist.
If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.
If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in
the red. If the Marines are in IRAQ, it's because they want
them in IRAQ.
There are no insoluble government problems. Do not let these
545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire
and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts
and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give
the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power.
Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that
there exist disembodied mystical forces like "the economy,"
"inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what
they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible. They, and
they alone, have the power. They, and they alone, should be
held accountable by the people who are their bosses -
provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own
employees. We should vote all of them out of office and
clean up their mess.
and "staggering", but yeah, I had to at least mention it. 
)
All tangled up!
